


Buddy System

by ohnojamie



Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Oh My God I Forgot Pig, Stupid Boys being Stupid, feat paul, people drinking, so much cursing, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 11:28:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2730785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohnojamie/pseuds/ohnojamie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He groans and fills his mouth with the majority of the champagne sitting next to him. It might be Zayn’s but Louis thinks he deserves it more. He deserves champagne, new friends, and to not realize he wants to marry his boyfriend while at his best friends wedding. </p>
<p>or Louis proposes in his own roundabout way</p>
            </blockquote>





	Buddy System

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to sickwithlarryngitis for running this shindig and being so patient and understanding for this late piece of crap. you're the best.
> 
> MASSIVE THANK YOU to my pal, nicole for cheering me on and looking over this hunk of nonsense. you're my mvp. look at us, we did it. 
> 
> for the prompts: "i'll bet you'd look good grasping at the sheets on my bed" "no matter how many times you compliment me im not making your bed"  
> and  
> "Hold my fucking hand, loser. We're using the buddy system for the rest of our lives"

**November, 2017**

The first time Louis thinks about it he’s clapping wildly, a painfully wide grin on his face, while Zayn laughs against Perrie’s mouth for the first time as husband and wife. Liam’s next to him trying to discreetly wipe his eyes, while further down the line of groomsmen Harry and Niall cackle in each other’s ears. Louis’ eyes find the front row, and there he is.

Louis watches Nick stand and applaud, his huge fucking hands louder than anyone else’s. The skin around his eyes crinkles under the weight of his smile, laughter lines becoming more pronounced; laughter lines that Louis very proudly caused. Nick’s hair is a brown, floppy mess, and his lanky arms still aren’t proportional to the length of his torso, and they probably never will be. Nick’s in no way as flawless as the new couple, but when Nick’s eyes find his and he winks like he’s trying to be seductive, all Louis can thinks is:

_I want to spend the rest of my fucking life with you, you wanker._

Turns out, as it usually does, that his revelation surprises nobody but him.  After the ceremony ended, the guests piled out into the reception hall of the Scotland castle Zayn reserved Louis found himself at the front, sat at a table with a clear view of Nick chatting with Anne. It was the closest he could get, since being the best man didn’t give him the luxury of sitting with his goddamn boyfriend. Instead he’s stuck with the mess of mushy goo that is Zayn and Liam, who still has suspiciously wet cheeks.

“So, Tommo, why the long face?” Liam asks over the hodgepodge of people finding their seats and slowly moving to the open bar.

Louis scoffs. “Payno, you’re the one who’s been bawling for the last thirty minutes.”

Liam muffles a curse and scrubs at his cheeks, turning the tan skin pink. Louis laughs and peeks over to Nick’s table to find him absent and Anne conversing with others. His brow furrows.

“That’s the face, what is with the face?”

“This is just my face!”

Liam gives him a look that definitely says he should stop being dense. Which is quite rude.

Louis groans. “I’ve just come to a revelation is all.”

“Revelation?” Liam laughs. “Lads, did you hear that? Tommo’s come to a revelation.”

Louis groans and fills his mouth with the majority of the champagne sitting next to him. It might be Zayn’s, but Louis thinks he deserves it more. He deserves champagne, new friends, and to not realize he wants to marry his boyfriend while at his best friends wedding.

“Oh? Did you finally realize that the suspenders were a bad idea?”

“Fuck you very much, Harold. You’re the one with your boobs out at a wedding,” Louis says using his flute of champagne to motion at Harry’s unbuttoned matte grey shirt.

Harry gasps. “Hey, Niall likes my boobs.”

From behind, Niall curls over Harry’s hunched back and shamelessly pats Harry’s bare chest. “He’s right.”

Harry grins until his nostrils flare like a frog and smacks a disgusting kiss on Niall’s cheek. “Thanks, babe.”

Louis gags dramatically and finishes his first glass.

“I don’t know what that was, but it wasn’t the point,” Liam says. “Niall stop biting Harry’s neck and listen. Louis’ had a revelation and he keeps makinghis Nick Face.”

Niall lets go of Harry’s neck and stares right into Louis’ eyes. Louis knows that stare, it’s got him to admit too many things over the last eight years and it never bodes well for him.

Desperate to change the subject, Louis says, “I do not have a Nick face!”

Harry reaches over and pats Louis’ thigh. “You do, babe, and it’s been present for the entire ceremony.”

Louis needs another drink.

“It has not!” He refuses to ever admit that he’s getting shrieky.

A gentle hand finds the back of his neck. “It has, Lou. Even with Pez in front of me I could see it. Sorry, babes.”

Louis groans and shakes off Zayn’s hand.

“Now what is this revelation you’ve come to during my wedding?” Zayn asks, a stupid smirk on his face.

“Nothing, dammit!”

“We don’t know, it just involves his goofy Nick face,” Liam says, completely ignoring Louis’ outburst.

Niall cackles suddenly. “Oh my god, have you just realized you want to marry Grimmy?”

Louis is just about to start sweating. Zayn snorts in his ear, while Harry and Liam don’t seem all that surprised at this monumental change in Louis’ life.

“That’s not news to anybody, though,” Harry drawls.

Louis sucks in a breath of air, ready to declare that he is going to kill his band when a familiar bloke towers over Louis.

“What isn’t news to anybody?” Nick asks, setting a shot glass with something potent in it in front of Louis.

“That Lou wants to-“

“That I want to get wasted and shag you in a broom closet,” Louis interrupts Niall and his big mouth.

Louis slams back the shot of what he now knows as Tequila and crawls under the table to get to Nick as quickly as possible.  Nick helps him to his feet with a raised eyebrow.

“All right?”

Since they have been together for four years and Nick knows him like the back of his hand, Louis has to think fast. He rises to his tiptoes and puts his mouth to Nick’s ear.

“I want more shots and, then I want to suck you off in the bathroom.”

Nick coughs and discreetly leads Louis to the bar. “I think I can do that.”

* * *

 

**January 2018**

The second time Louis contemplates marrying Nick fucking Grimshaw he’s hopping around their bedroom searching for his right shoe while tying up the left. His phone is buzzing somewhere, reminding him that he was supposed to be at the airport ten minutes ago, and his aching back is telling him he’s too old to still be jetting around in a boyband.

Plus, he’s got a stupid, bare-chested man staring at him from the bed, his grin promising filthy things should Louis just skip this world tour.

Louis trips and Nick’s wheezy laugh follows him down to the carpet. At least he found his shoe. As he wrestles to tie up his Vans, Nick pops a head over the side of the bed, his necklace dangling.

Louis glares. “What?”

“I’ll bet you’d look adorable grasping at the sheets of our bed.”

Louis rolls his eyes and huffs as he stands to grab his phone and bags. “No matter how many times you compliment me, I’m not making the bed.”

Nick squawks unattractively. “I’m trying to proposition you, Tomlinson.”

Louis’ stomach feels warm as he drops his suitcase by the door, and turns to the bed. This happens every time Louis leaves, Nick tries every trick in the book in an attempt to get Louis to stay one more minute, or one more hour, or one more day. It never gets any easier to walk away from him. It’s just as hard as the first time he had left when they started dating, both still unsure of how serious the other was.

Louis remembers it like it was yesterday; the phone calls, the texts, and even the fights. Every conversation ending with the same promise: _I’m coming back for you, you twat_. It’s a bit easier to promise it now that all Louis can think about is what it would feel like to see a ring on Nick’s finger.

Louis crawls along the bed and cages Nick’s torso with his arms. He dips down and kisses him with surprising gentleness. Nick’s hands curl around the back of Louis’ neck and Louis want’s nothing more in that moment than to feel the cool metal of a ring against his skin.

He breaks the kiss and pinches the doughy side of Nick’s stomach. He grins evilly and hops off the bed, ignoring the cold longing in his chest. “Hop to it, love. Harry will kill me if I’m any later than I already am.”

Nick loud grumbles follow him as he rolls his suitcase down the beige hallway and to the front door. The air is biting as soon as he opens the door, so he nearly runs to the black SUV waiting for him. Paul pops out of the drivers seat, and doesn’t even lecture him on his tardiness. Of course, he’s had to get used to it over the years.

As Paul puts his suitcase in the boot with the others, the side window rolls down and Harry sticks his head out with his frog grin on.

“You look well put together, surprised Nick left you enough energy to simply walk.”

“He’s old and not as skilled as he once was, young Harold,” Louis says.

“Kind as ever, darling.”

Louis turns and finds Nick lumbering out the door in sweats and a big hoodie, hair still a mess. Paul snorts from the back of the SUV and slams the boot closed. “Say your goodbyes, Lou, we’ve got to go.”

That cold, almost hungry-like feeling settles into his bones. He meets Nick on the steps of their home and before he can say a word, Nick has him bundled up to his chest. Louis knocks his forehead against Nick’s collarbone and curls his hands into the collar of his hoodie. Nick’s still tall enough that Louis has to press up on his toes to kiss him goodbye.

“Come back to me, yeah?” Nick says quietly against his mouth.

“Always, you prat.”

Louis kisses him again, until Harry wolf-whistles and Nick gives his bum a solid smack.

Louis shoves him. “I love you.”

“I guess I love you too, Tomlinson.”

Louis absolutely does not watch Nick as they drive away because that would be too sentimental. Harry grins at him like he knows Louis was actually doing just that.

“So is it going to be Louis Grimshaw or Nick Tomlinson?”

Louis put a fist to Harry’s crotch.

* * *

 

**Feburary 2018**

After the phone calls had been made and the discretion contracts had been signed, Louis finds himself ducking into a jewelers with Zayn at his side. His stomach is in knots as he takes in the cases and cases of rings that are telling him he is seriously going to ask his boyfriend of four years to marry him.

“This is the stupidest idea I’ve ever had.”

“Nah. Putting frogs in Harry’s bed was a bad idea. Those suspenders in 2012 were a bad idea. This is one of the most normal idea’s you’ve ever had,” Zayn says, tugging him over to a case of rings.

“Everyone loved those suspenders,” Louis mumbles, trying to ignore the store associates pretending not to look at them.

“Sure they did, babe. Now, what are we looking for?”

Louis presses his hands to the glass and peers in. “Well, it is Nick, so it’s got to be simple. How did you choose an engagement ring for Perrie?”

Zayn shrugs. “Just looked until I found one that I could see on her finger.”

Louis gazes at the simple bands of silver and gold, and shudders. Nick deserves more than a band of metal for putting up with Louis, his band, and the fans for four years. He moves along to the next case and finds more extravagant bands; ones with a single diamond and ones with too many.

“Grimmy would kill you if you got him a massive rock, you know?”

“He’d pretend to hate it then brag about it and you know it. Nick’s the non-flashy expensive type. He wants a chance to tell you how much something cost.”

Zayn starts whistling something that sounds like Gold Digger and moves past Louis before he can hit him. Louis bites his lip and looks back into the case. He immediately dismisses the ones with pretty colored rocks for Nick would complain about them not matching his wardrobe.

Louis sighs and moves on, rethinking his decision for the hundredth time this month. There is the chance that Louis is moving too fast, they both had always talked about marriage not being important no matter how many years passed. They’d had real grown up conversations about their future (yes, Harry nearly cried with how proud he was of them) and neither of them planned on packing up and leaving. However, breaking up and getting engaged were two entirely different things.

Commitment-phobe was Nick’s middle name when they started to date, and it took him a good year to admit to wanting something serious with Louis. Louis is just afraid that this might send Nick back to the beginning when he thought spending his life with someone was hell.  

“Lou, c’mere.” Louis shakes himself out of it and follows Zayn’s voice.

“Hmm?”

“What about these?”

Louis looks where Zayn’s left hand is pointing, his own wedding band sparkling in the light. More bands sit in satin but most are wood and mineral based. Louis’ eyes rove over them until they land on one in particular, and he knows right away.

“That one, Zayn.”

It’s made of a band of dark red wood outlining a stripe of discreet diamonds; classy, simple, and expensive enough to turn Nick to goo.

“You sure?” Zayn asks.

Louis can’t take his eyes away as he nods. He can see it, is the thing. He can see Nick in sweats and a hoodie with it around his finger and he can see him in a suit with it. He wants to see it on Nick’s hand for the rest of his fucking life, to be honest.

Zayn pats his shoulder. “Yeah, all right. I’ll go get someone who works here.”

Louis grins and for once his mind is quiet.

He’s going to ask Nick to marry him, and it’s going to be awesome.

* * *

 

**April 2018**

It’s not awesome. It’s a wreck, an absolute clusterfuck.

Louis is drunk off his face. The world might actually be upside down but he doesn’t care because it’s been two months since he’s seen Nick, and he’s going to have him to himself for a whole week. Their weeklong break started tonight before they left the UK to jet down under. A week at home with the goddamn love of his life.

He slings himself over Niall’s shoulders and shoves his mouth to his ear to be heard over the shit DJ. “I get to see Nick! Nick is coming to get me and I have him for a week! I’m going to do very bad things to him, Nialler.”

Niall cackles and puts his arm around Louis’ waist. “I didn’t need to know that, mate. Good for you, though! I’m planning to suck Harry’s dick all week!”

It shows how drunk they are when they don’t wrinkle their noses at discussing each other sex lives, they giggle into each other’s necks instead. Someone should be watching over them, Louis thinks, but Harry and Liam disappeared a while ago and Zayn is already home with Perrie.

Which reminds him of the box he has in his luggage. “Niall! Niall Horan, I think I’m going to do the thing!”

“The thing with the ring? Tonight?” Niall shouts.

Louis shushes him because it sounds stupid on drunk lips. Five beers and five shots, and even he can tell he shouldn’t propose while off his ass. “Bad idea tonight, this week maybe!”

“Don’t be a wuss! There’s no time like the present, ‘s what Haz is always saying.”

Louis shoves him. “Not a wuss, just don’t want to in a club and drunk! Plus, I don’t even have the ring!”

“Who fuckin’ cares?” Niall says, accent heavy with alcohol. “Do it! I dare you to when he gets here.”

Louis gasps drunkenly. “You dare me?”

Niall pulls him in close and pokes his nose. “Double dog dare ya.”

“What are you daring Louis to do?”

Niall and Louis whip around to find Harry grinning loosely at them. “Harry!” Niall shouts and throws himself at the lanky man.

“Hi babe, you’re drunk,” Harry says as he hugs Niall and smirks at Louis.

“We’re fucking wasted,” Niall tells him as he pulls away and looks back at Louis.

His eyes widen. “There he is, Lou, go do the thing. Or are you chicken?”

Louis spins around and faintly hears Harry questioning Niall. Nick’s big head is moving through the grinding crowd and he has a dare to fulfill. Like Niall did to Harry, Louis runs and jumps on Nick without any warning. Nick shouts and gets his hands under Louis’ thighs before he can bring them to the sticky ground.

“Nicholas!” Louis shouts and pushes a sloppy kiss to his jaw.

“Hiya, love, I’ve missed you. How much have you had to drink?” Nick says as he slowly puts him down.

“I tried to outdrink Niall!”

Nick groans and Louis hugs him as hard as he can. “Fantastic. Let’s get you home, shall we?”

“Hold on, I have to ask you something! Niall dared me, he double dog dared me actually!”

Nick rolls his eyes and gasps. Louis is glad he grasps the severity of a double dog dare.

“And what is it, pet?”

“Don’t call me that!” Louis says happily. “Anyway I have to box in my bag and I can’t get on one knee in these jeans but I’ll do it anyway.”

Nick slowly stops grinning. “What?”

“I’m proposing, Nick! Niall dared me and here I am! Marry me, Nick!”

Nick’s arms drop away from him and his face falls. Even through the drunk haze, Louis recognizes Nick’s upset face immediately. Louis grabs his arms and shakes him.

“Nick, I don’t think you heard me. I want you to hold my hand for the rest of my life! Like the buddy system, just forever! So, hold my hand, loser! We’re using the buddy system for the rest of our lives!”

“Louis! Louis, stop!” Harry is suddenly next to them and Niall is jumping on his back, breath smelling of the whiskey and beer they had.

“What? Why?” Louis asks as he lets go of Nick to hold Niall up.

Harry ignores him and grabs Nick like Louis had. “Nick, come on, they’re wasted. He didn’t mean it like that.”

Nick blinks and shakes off Harry. “I’m just-I’m going to go. You’ll get him to bed, yeah? Thanks, Haz.”

Louis feels cold stone sober, suddenly. He drops Niall and reaches for Nick.

“Nick? Hey, you can’t go; you came here to get me. Can’t leave without me.”

Nick frowns at him, eyes covered in a weird sheen as he turns away and Louis’ fingers brush his back before his disappears into the crowd. Louis moves to go after him but Harry stops him, face pinched and sad.

“Harry?”

Harry shakes his head and puts an arm around him and Niall. “Come on, you both need some water and then sleep.”

“But-“

“No, Louis. Let’s go.” Louis’ mouth goes dry and even Niall looks surprised at Harry’s harsh tone.

Louis gets the distinct feeling he royally fucked up.

…

Louis wakes with a throbbing headache and a sick feeling in his belly that has nothing to do with his hangover. Louis groans and rolls over in a bed that is definitely not his and Nick’s.

The memories of last night hit him like a sack of bricks, and he barely makes it to Harry’s guest bathroom in time to be sick. Fuck, he’s going to kill Niall and then he’s going to build a time machine.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Louis groans and stumbles to his feet to clean out his mouth.

“Morning, king of the fuck ups.”

Louis pushes past Harry and goes to the closet where all of them have left clothes over the years. “Shut up, Harry. Get your keys, I need you to drive me home.”

He throws on the famed maroon hoodie from their x factor days and his trousers from the day before. His phone is dead on the bed and his Vans are sticky with something he doesn’t want to identify.

“I don’t think that’s a great idea,” Harry says.

“I don’t care, get me home or I’ll call a taxi. Where is my luggage?”

He stomps down the hall, still sick to his stomach with guilt. He screwed up badly.

“Paul dropped all our stuff off yesterday. Louis, I don’t think he wants to see you right now,” Harry says as he follows to the kitchen.

Niall is on the kitchen floor curled around a steaming mug and looking vaguely green. Louis points at him and Niall whimpers. “I will have words with you.”

“You are to blame as well. I think you need to give Nick some space.”

Louis rounds on Harry despite how badly his head ached. “Harry, I love you a whole fucking lot and I will take your advice until the day I die, but this is my boyfriend and I will not let him sulk thinking I only want to marry him because of a dare. Now, take me home.”

Harry deflates. “Do you at least want some tea and medicine before we go?”

Louis really loves him. “I’ll drink it in the car.”

He nods and grabs an abandoned mug and pops it in the microwave. From the ground Niall shakes a bottle at him. “Look, Lou, ‘m sorry.”

He takes the bottle as the microwave beeps. He scalds his throat with the tea as he takes the pills; he thinks it’s the least he deserves. “We both screwed up, it’s okay, Nialler.”

Niall waves him away. “Go get your man.”

On the drive over, the car is silent for the first few minutes until Louis can’t take it anymore.

“Have you talked to him?”

Harry nods. “He’s upset and confused but playing it off. You know, Nick.”

Louis groans and scrubs at his face, refusing to get weepy even though he feels like bawling. “God, I fucked up so badly.”

Harry sighs and pats his thigh. “Yeah, but at least you know it.”

“Think he’ll forgive me? I wasn’t lying last night, like I do want to marry him. Just didn’t mean to ask like that.”

“I think he’s stuck around this long, and I think he’ll want to stick around for a lot longer once you explain,” Harry says.

He blinks rapidly, the previous night playing on repeat. He shakes with the thought that this could be it. This could be the end. “Haz, what if he doesn’t? What if this is the last straw? What if-“

“What if’s aren’t going to help, just don’t let him go.”

Harry pulls to a stop and Louis presses a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks, you’re the best.”

Harry shoves his face away and hands him his key to their house. “Go get him, pal.”

It’s anything but silent when he gets inside. The kettle is whistling, and there’s banging against the cupboards before the kettle is shut off. Nick is cursing up a storm as Louis toes off his shoes and heaves a deep sigh. His luggage is against the door and he rifles around until he finds the satin box. He stuffs it in his hoodie as the kitchen goes silent.

“Haz?”

Time to face the music.

He walks slowly through the doorway with a cautious smile. “Nah, ‘s your stupid boyfriend.”

Nick looks awful and it’s a punch to the stomach. There are thick bags under his suspiciously red eyes. He’s wearing his ratty #teamgrimmy shirt and sweats, all too small, and Nick still manages to look small in them. His chapped lips tighten and he turns his back to Louis, pouring hot water on a tea bag.

“Nick-“

He slams the kettle back on its base and rounds on Louis. “Has this what’s it’s always been about?”

“What?”

“It’s been a dare this whole time, hasn’t it. I thought it was weird that you even gave me the time of day four years ago, but I didn’t think this. If Niall dared you to propose, what else has he dared you to do, Louis?”

Louis gapes. “You actually think-oh my god! Nick, you’ve been overthinking this. Did you sleep at all last night?”

Nick’s voice cracks as he says, “Why aren’t you denying it?”

He rushes to him and refuses to be shaken off as his grabs Nick’s face with both hands. “You big oaf. This is why I refused to _‘give you time’_ like Harry wanted.”

“Yes, insult me while I’m furious with you. It’s making me feel very loving toward you.”

Louis runs his thumbs over Nick’s cheeks to soothe him. “Darling, I asked you out four years ago because I liked your jokes and your face. Nothing less and you know it.”

Nick sniffs. “Then, what was last night?”

He sighs and drops his hands to his hoodie pocket where he grasps the box for dear life. “Last night was the product of me freaking out about proposing for the last five months, a lot of alcohol, and a dumb Irish man. Harry was right, I didn’t mean any of it the way you took it.”

“Wait, wait, wait; you were serious?”

Louis takes a deep breath because this is all he has, this is the bravest thing he’s ever done. He’s taken on rumors for Harry, he’s sang in front of thousands, he’s come out of the closet, but nothing like this. He takes out the box and throws it from hand to hand.

“Yeah, Nick. Niall really did dare me last night, only because I told him I was going to do it this week anyway. Drunk me just didn’t handle the situation right.”

Nick’s eyes follow the path of the box. “That’s-“

“A ring? Of course it is. I’m not getting down on a knee because that would embarrass the both of us. But if you forgive me for being a tit and, like, love me enough to spend the next eighty-something years with me, I’d like to propose correctly.”

Nick blinks and swallows loudly enough for Louis to hear it. “You want to marry me?”

Louis shrugs with a gentle smile. “Who the fuck else is going to put up with my crap and still love me in the morning?”

Nick grabs Louis’ face so quickly that he drops the box and doesn’t even have time to think before he’s being kissed. Louis grasps at Nick’s shirt with a kind of desperation that he’ll deny later and lets Nick lift him onto the kitchen table. Nick starts tugging at his hoodie and Louis swats his hands away.

“Stop, no make up sex until that ring is on your finger, jackass.”

Nick bends down to grab the wayward box and Louis takes it from him before he can open it. “You going to sprout the whole buddy system forever shit, again?” Nick asks, his face giddy and pink.

“That was a good line for drunk me and you know it,” Louis says and pops the box open.

He doesn’t look Nick in the eye as he snatches up Nick’s giant left hand and forces the ring onto its rightful place.

And as Nick flattens him on the table, Louis mentally pats himself on the back because the ring looks just as perfect on Nick’s hand as he had imagined.

 

 

 


End file.
